The present invention relates to a disc brake, especially for use with automotive vehicles.
In disc brakes of this type, so-called "central springs" are employed to load the housing and the pads with respect to one another and against a holder. This preload precludes undesirable relative movement of the brake components otherwise likely to cause rattling noises or lift-off. A spring of this type is described in the German patent application P 35 33 931 published Mar. 26, 1987.
The German patent application DE-32 20 632.1, published Dec. 8, 1983, discloses an arrangement wherein the brake pads, on an upper side thereof, are provided with wire-springs supported, on the one hand, on the back plate of the wire-spring and, on the other hand, on the brake housing. These wire-springs are helically wound and inserted into U-shaped grooves in the back plates and include legs in abutment with a bottom side of the brake housing, thereby loading the pads against the brake carrier and against the brake housing. A similar spring disclosed in the German patent application DE-P 32 27 195.6, published Jan. 26, 1984, is made of sheet metal and is fixed to a pin of the pad back plate.
Great Britain patent GB-PS 15 91 735 discloses a disc brake provided with a cross-shaped leaf-spring comprising two circumferentially extending legs straddling pad holding pins rigidly secured to the brake housing, and two axially extending legs in abutment with the back plates of the brake pads to force apart the brake pads after actuation. However, the use of cross-shaped springs of this type requires the brake pads to be held in the brake housing by means of pad holding pins. These and other known solutions exhibit the disadvantage that, depending on the operational and mounting space conditions, respectively, either it is impossible to apply an adequate preload force or obtaining the required stroke is precluded due principally to excessive rise in the spring forces or the occurrence of plastic deformation.